The Veil

Chapter Seventy

The blood drained from Martha's face, I felt my own body instantly chill, she slipped on the ice on the porch but scrambled quickly, throwing herself through the back door, I was so close behind her, her hair swung against my arm. 

We entered the living room, the panic on our faces matching everyone's in the room, Tom and Andrew were stood either side of Jade, Drew had his hands on Jade's arm, Tom was trying to get her to sit down, Peter seemed to be searching for something in a panic, throwing couch cushions to the floor. 

"What is happening?" Martha asked, her voice laced with so much worry. 

I felt like my legs were about to fall out from under me, I could tell it was Jade, there was a problem with the baby, it was the only conclusion I could take from the scene I was presented with. 

Seconds later Drew confirmed with his words, "Something is wrong." His eyes were bloodshot and his eyes never left Jade's barely swollen stomach. 

Tom looked up at me, his face as pale as mine felt, his eyes so sad. 

Jade finally looked up at us, tears in her eyes and her bottom lip quivered, "I felt something, it doesn't feel right, I know something bad is happening to the baby." She whimpered and my heart dropped, my knees almost buckled from under me and I couldn't move, couldn't make myself walk over to her the way Martha was now. 

She wouldn't survive losing her baby, we wouldn't survive. 

"Lily." Peter's voice snapped me out of my trance. 

I looked over at him, his face as panicked as everyone else's, "Phone?" He questioned, that's what he'd been doing, looking for the phone. 

I couldn't move my mouth to tell him I didn't know where it was, I couldn't move to help him, I could just watch his panicked movements as he kept searching. 

"Oh god, there." Jade whimpered, my eyes snapped back to her as she grabbed Martha's hand and placed it on her stomach. 

My body felt like it was made out of glass, like I would shatter any second, I was so tense and raw I was surprised I was still able to stand. 

I didn't understand what happened to my body when I heard Martha's quiet and sweet voice whisper, "Oh sweetie, this isn't a bad thing. Not at all." I could hear the joy in her voice and that seemed to take the life out of my body, I almost collapsed, I caught myself on the back of the couch, relief taking over all my senses. 

"What's happening?" Andrew asked, I couldn't look up again. Jade would be ok. I breathed deeply as I looked at the hardwood floor between my arms, listening carefully. 

"The baby is just moving." Martha explained softly. 

"He's moving?" Drew sounded like he was crying, those happy tears of joy this time though, all traces of panic and sadness beyond gone.

"She." Jade argued, but her voice sounded full of happy tears as well, she giggled excitedly. 

"You know what isn't good for the blood pressure?" Peter commented, his voice sounded closer to the others than the sofa I was still braced against. 

Their happy voices faded into the background, all I could hear was the blood rushing through my body, my heart pounding in my ears. 

"Come on." I didn't feel Tom's arms wrapped around me, I only knew they were when he started gently pulling me towards the stairs, I didn't look back to see if anyone noticed, and Tom didn't seem to care if they did.   

He sat me on the edge of his bed and my head dropped into my hands automatically. "Why can't I just be normal?" I asked, more to myself than to Tom.